Inspiring Kids to Learn Geography Can Help Them Understand World : There are many ways to introduce children to the fascinating universe around them.

Consider me the oddball kid--a teacher’s dream, maybe, but something of a royal pain to his classmates. I was a grade-school geography whiz. When I was growing up, back in the days before television, my buddies might be out tossing a softball on the playground, but you could almost always find me in the town library. It boasted a shelf full of stereopticons--old-fashioned versions of the View-Master that showed photos in 3-D--along with dozens of shoe boxes stuffed with photo cards from exotic places all over the world. I sat there for hours at a time, working my way through each box and dreaming of someday visiting them all.

It was a great way to learn geography, and there wasn’t another student in the school who could name as many Asian rivers or African countries. I never really learned how to pitch or catch a softball properly, but over the years I’ve seen a lot of the places in those photos.

I cite this anecdote as an illustration of one of the many varied ways youngsters can learn geography--and, like me, have a good time doing it.

With the help of some Washington-area geography instructors, I’ve compiled a list of other ways parents can introduce their children to the fascinating world around them. Map and card games, puzzles, museum visits, TV nature shows and, yes, travel are all excellent educational supplements to classroom geography lessons.

The National Geographic Society actually markets basketballs painted like globes for $24.95. The idea is that youngsters in a pickup game might get curious about the continents between their fingers. Rand McNally sells a Windbreaker jacket that can double as a world map for $29.95.

There is a nationwide drive underway today aimed at improving the teaching of geography in American schools. In part, the effort is the result of surveys taken in 1988 and 1990 that showed American youth to be sadly deficient in their knowledge of the subject.

One innovative step in the campaign was the establishment of the National Geography Bee. Since the contest began, the National Geographic Society, which is one of the bee’s sponsors, has asked the finalists what first got them interested in geography, and the students’ answers are illuminating. For one young man, it was the gift of a globe-shaped bank his father picked up for 25 cents at a yard sale. Several reported that their parents sparked their curiosity by handing them a state road map and making them the official family navigator on car trips. Many claim map-studying as their hobby. One finalist this year says he enjoys playing video geography games.

To my mind, all the participants already are winners--if for no other reason than their mastery of geography will enhance any traveling they do in the years ahead. As a frequent traveler and a one-time whiz myself, I know this for a fact. The more you learn about a place you are visiting, the better you will appreciate and enjoy it.

Why study geography? It’s a key to understanding our world, says Donald Vermeer, professor of geography at George Washington University. To him, the classroom is the place where students acquire the skills to “tune in” to “everything that is out there in the world.”

The knowledge, which “will last them for the rest of their lives,” will help them to understand why things are the way they are. For example, a skier with curiosity might wonder why most of the ski resorts in the West are built on westside slopes. The reason, says Vermeer, is the “rain shadow,” a natural phenomenon. Storms moving eastward deposit most of their precipitation on the western slopes, leaving the east-facing slopes much drier.

On a drive through South Africa, Vermeer himself was puzzled by local cattle-raising practices. For miles, he saw only a single breed of cattle on the farms. And then, abruptly, all the pastures along the road were dotted with another breed of cattle. He turned back to find out why, and his investigation revealed a simple but interesting cultural difference: Farmers of Dutch descent preferred one breed, and farmers of English descent favored another.

Geography is a science like chemistry and physics, Vermeer notes, and a rather all-encompassing one, as Webster’s New World Dictionary definition makes evident: Geography is “the descriptive science dealing with the surface of the earth, its divisions into continents and countries, and the climate, plants, animals, natural resources, inhabitants and industries of the various divisions.”

Among the ways parents can contribute to their children’s knowledge of geography:

--Take them on day trips. Family excursions can enhance geography studies in several ways. Like the national finalists in the geography bee, the youngsters in the back seat can take on the role of family map reader. But parents should also try to keep children interested in what they are viewing along the way. “Talk about the lay of the land,” says Dawn Thomas, a social-studies administrator for elementary schools in the Washington area. “Be aware of the environment. How have things changed since the last time you came this way? What caused the changes?”

--Go to the zoo. Many zoos have created natural habitats for the animals that approximate the real thing. Discuss with your child the country from which each animal came and the type of terrain and climate that it is accustomed to living in. Raise the issue of endangered species, and discuss why efforts are being made to save them and the costs involved.

--Tour museums. Natural history museums full of dinosaur bones and exotic tribal artifacts can fascinate a child. The Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of Natural History is a trove of geographical insight, and at “Geographica,” an interactive exhibit in Explorers Hall at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington, visitors can see how a tornado is created.

--Read with (or to) them. “Select books about people and places,” says Thomas. Reader’s Digest has published “How the Earth Works” by John Farndor, available at bookstores for $24. National Geographic sells a globe-shaped carrying case that holds six tiny geography books for children ages 1 through 4, including “My Own Little World,” a child’s first geography primer. The set costs $27.95. Contact a community or school library for other recommendations.

--Keep a map or globe in the home, and refer to it. Encourage your children to locate places that are making the headlines in newspapers or on the TV news. The National Geographic Society has just published an updated wall map of the world that notes the breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia ($9.95). USA Today offers “The Sports Atlas: Where to Find Every Sport in America,” a set of U.S. state and big-city maps pinpointing the sites of everything from ski resorts to major league baseball stadiums. Consider it a sugar-coated way to get the young athletes in the family interested in geography. It sells for $12.95 at bookstores. Rand McNally has created a variety of atlases for children, including “Atlas of the Universe,” “Atlas of World Wildlife” and “Atlas of World History,” available in bookstores for $14.95 each.

--Travel, and take snapshots of your trips. Travel is a great teacher, and children who are given the chance to see other states and countries are fortunate. But parents should see that any travel experience is educational. On a ski trip, for example, take at least some time off the slopes to learn more about the geography and history of the area. Scuba-diving excursions, white-water rafting, inn-to-inn bicycling and guest ranch stays are adventure vacations that lend themselves to a study of geography.

Watch TV nature shows or other geography-rich programming. Scan the TV listings for documentaries on nature or foreign cultures, and set an example for the kids by watching the programs with enthusiasm. Videos with a nature theme can also be rented or purchased. “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?” is a geography game show on public television for youngsters 8-13 years old. Along with each afternoon’s adventure, there is a tough geography quiz. In Los Angeles, the program is shown weekdays on KCET from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

--Suggest stamp collecting. Right from the start, a child starts learning the countries of the world, and it’s a hobby that can last a lifetime. Subscribe to geography-oriented magazines. The most famous, certainly, is National Geographic, which is published monthly. An annual subscription is $21. National Geographic World is another monthly, this one aimed at ages 8-13. An annual subscription is $12.95. (Call 800-638-4077 to order either magazine.) Both make good gifts. For outdoor enthusiasts in their teens or older, Outside, also a monthly, combines adventure articles with solid reporting on environmental issues. The introductory rate for a year’s subscription is $14.95. Write Outside Magazine, P.O. Box 2423, Boulder, Colo. 80328-2423.